10 Yoga Poses for Beginners

Like anything we do in life, the more we practice and stay consistent, the easier and more natural it will become. This is definitely true with yoga.

Before we get into the physical postures and how to do them, I want to stress the points below.

Yoga is a practice for all ages, shapes, and sizes.

Yoga doesn’t discriminate.

The practice can benefit everyone – even if it’s just breathing, quieting the mind, and reducing stress.

Yoga is not about bending the body into a pretzel shape.

Like any physical activity, a consistent yoga practice will yield weight loss, toning, strengthening, and flexibility. But the real work is how we practice yoga off our mats, this is where it truly matters.

The postures and their names will sound like alien talk at first. This is normal.Everyone is lost the first couple of classes and that’s part of the fun, the unknown.

So with all that in mind….. roll out your yoga mat, play some funky tunes, and get moving!

Below are 10 yoga poses for beginners to help inspire, motivate, and clear up any confusion.

And if you’re someone who is seeking more yoga information + inspiration, grab your free yoga sequence library below. This library is packed full with helpful yoga sequences and matching yoga videos to go along with them. Simply click the picture, enter your information, and it’s coming your way!

1. Child’s Pose

Sanskrit name: Bālāsana

How to do the pose (from tabletop):

Bring big toes together to touch.

Send the hips back over the heels.

Take the knees wide to open and stretch the hips or keep knees together to lengthen and stretch the low back.

Extend arms straight out to the front of the mat.

Gently rest the forehead on the ground, keeping length in the back of the neck.

Let the chest meltdown.

Relax the entire body, feel supported by the ground beneath you, and melt into the space that’s being created.

Benefits:

Massages the abdominal organs, kidneys, and adrenal glands.

Good for cramps and constipation.

Heals relaxes and rejuvenates the entire body.

2. Downward Facing Dog

How to do the pose:

Begin in a tabletop position with shoulders stacked over wrists and hips aligned over knees.